Stockton



. S. BORTON.

TRIMMING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 341,726. Patented May 11, 1886.

N. PETERS. Phum-Lima m hcr. Washington. D. c.

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STOCKTON BORTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR- TO JOHN BIGELOWV, OF SAME PLACE.

TRHWWIING DEVICE FOR SEWlNG- MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,726, dated May 11, 1886.

Application filed February 4, 1880. Serial No. 2,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STOCKTON BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trimming Devices for SeWingl/Iachincs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 shows the inner face of one of the cutters. Fig. 2 shows the outer face of the same. Fig.3 shows the relation of the two cutters of the trimming device when in working position. Fig. 4 shows a top view Of an arrangement for bringing the cutters together for work, also their relation to the feed and needle-hole ofasewing-machine. Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of the relation of the trimming device with the needle, presser-foot, and feed of a sewing-machine. Fig. 6 shows a side View of a single circular cutter adapted to have a reciprocating movement, in combination with astationary lower cutting'blade. Fig. 7 shows two cutters with a different number of teeth, arranged so that only one pair of said teeth shall be cutting at once. Fig. 8 shows a reverse view of device shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 shows a vertical central section of Fig. 4, excepting feed and needle-throat. Fig. 1.0 shows an edge view of the two cutting-disks shown in Fig. 3.

One part of my invention is the cutting device itself, which consists of a thin disk, the periphery of which is toothed. The cutting line B B, Fig. 1, of each toothis drawn from the circumference to a point below the center A, Fig. 1, and is on the same plane as the inner side of the disk. From the line B B, Fig. 1, the surface D of each tooth is beveled back for clearance, the same as the inner face of the cutting-edge of a pair of shears, while on the outer side of the disk each tooth is brought up to a beveled edge, as at C, Fig. 2.

Another part of myinvention is the combining of two disks similar to the one described, or of one such disk with a plain cutting-edge to obtain a shear out, which is adapted to trimming cotton, woolen, and similar fabrics.

Having made two similar disks of any number of teeth desired, they are fitted to two shafts. face of one disk, Figs. 4 and 9, is hollow, while the shaft E, projecting from the inner face of the other disk, Figs. 4 and 9, is made to fit in and use the hollow of the first shaft, F, as its bearing.

R R, Figs. 4. and 9, show, for illustration, bearings for the shaft F, at the end of which, opposite to its cutter, is firmly attached a pulley or gear, G, for driving the same. The shaft E, which passes through the shaft F, has at the end opposite its cutter a driving pulley or gear, H, attached by means of a spline, but free to slide. Between the drivers G and H is placed a spring, J, Figs. 4. and 9, and at the end of the shaft E is a screwthread with the setnuts K. Now, of course, as the nut K is screwed up, the driver H moves on its spline and along the shaft E toward the driver G. The intermediate spring, J, crowds the driver H back, which, acting on the nut K and shaft E, conveys the pressure to the cutter on the opposite end of. said shaft E, and causes it to bear with equal force against the cutter on the end Of the shaft F, Figs. 4 and 9. By means of belts or a train of gearing operated from any suitable rotating part of the sewingmachine the drivers G and 11 are rotated in opposite directions, causing, of course, the cuttingdisks at the opposite ends of their respective shafts to conform and to rotate similarly. The disks being slightly concave and held together by spring-pressure, their cutting-edges B O are thus caused to be continually crossing each other, and in doing so make a draw cut similar to that of a pair of shears,while if there are six teeth to each disk a single rotation makes six shear cuts on a plane drawn toward their center of rotation. The advantage of a rotary motion is thus obtained, and the further advantage that the speed of the disks, if each tooth cuts the length of a stitch, can be very much less than that of the sewing mechanism.

The disks require to be sunk below the level of the work-plate WV of the sewingmachine,

The one, F, projecting from the outer b Fig. 5, about half their diameter, or much less than two circular smooth-edged cutters would have to be, since to bring their cutting-point on a plane with the table the whole of one cutter would haveto be below the same.

If preferred, one of the disks can be stationary, suitable stops being arranged to hold one of its cutting-teeth on the plane of the work plate of the sewing-machine, while the other I disk, revolving, shear-cuts the material as it is fed onto it. When said tooth becomes dull,

' the disk can be turned and a new cutting-tooth presented, the disk thus becoming the equivalent of as many pairs of shears as it has teeth. Again, neither of the disks need be driven with a rotary motion; but one, being the equivalent of the lower shear-blade, Patent No. 214,354, can be stationary, as last described, and the other, the equivalent of the upper blade, can receive a reciprocating or rocking movement from any suitable working part of the sewing-machine, becoming thus a veritable shear-trimmer. WVhen one set of cutting-edges have become dulled, another can be brought into use, until all require sharpening. The number of teeth can be different in the two disks, Fig. 7, so that only one set of cuttingedges need be in contact atone time, as shown at 0' B, Fig. 7, the line of the work-plate of the sewing-machine being shown at W, as the drawing itself manifestly shows, since the only parts in contact there are the edges 0 and B. HE is held stationary and C is rocked against it, the other cutting-edges will not touch each other, since one disk has five teeth and the other four. Again, one plain straight cutter similar to or the equivalent of the lower blade of Patent 214,354 can be used with a rotating or reciprocating disk for the upper cutter, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, in which Y shows the cutting-point of the stationary lower blade;

IV, the line of work-plate of the sewing-ma- The holes T in the disk are adapted to receive corresponding studs in the bar S, while both the bar S and disk are held to the lower blade, Y, by the screw V.

The needle-bar M is shown in Fig. 6, but the resser-foot and feed are not, for clearness of representation.

The size of the disks must of course conform to the space which can be allowed for them to be sunk in the work-plate of the sewing-machine used, and by any simple expedient they can be made adjustable, so as to trim close to or at a distance from the line of sewing.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing-machine, of a circular saw-toothed cutter and a co-operating second cutting-edge, with means for giving a rotary reciprocating movement to the former, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing-machine, a pair of circular shear-blades or circular cutters having their edges slightly oblique to each other, and a spring holding said cutting-edges in contact, and means for operating the same, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STOCKTON BORTON.

WVitnesses:

J AMES GREENWOOD, R0131. E. LESTER. 

